TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE
from Wisconsin Public Radio
October 13, 1996 Programs
Click here to return to the Main Menu
1100 - 1159 Hour #1 Family Values
1200 - 1259 Hour #2 Scientific Discovery
1300 - 1359 Hour #3 Publishing
PROGRAM RUNDOWN Hour 1:Family Values
SEGMENT 1:
John Gillis, who teaches history at Rutgers and is the
author of "A World of Their Own Making: Myth, Ritual and
the Quest for Family Values," tells Jim Fleming that the
nuclear family and its rituals -- Christmas, the family
dinner, actually got started among the Victorian middle-
class and are not ancient, traditional ideas.
SEGMENT 2:
Two sociologits battle about fathers! First, David
Popenoe of Rutgers tells Steve Paulson that Dads are
crucial to growing children and that Americans divorce
too lightly. Popenoe is the author of "Life without
Father." Then, Judith Stacey tells Judith Strasser that
what kids need is good parenting, regardless of the sex
of the parent. She says a family's economic prospects
are much more important than the make-up of the
household. Stacey's most recent book is "In the Name of
the Family: Rethinking Family Values in the Postmodern
Age."
SEGMENT 3:
Writer and humorist Calvin Trillin reads an excerpt from
his memoir "Messages from My Father" and tells Jim
Fleming that what he remembers most about his father is
his humor, his morality and his stubborness. Also, men's
movement guru (and respected poet and translator) Robert
Bly talks with Steve Paulson about the abdication of
adulthood he describes in his book "The Sibling Society."
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
10-13-A.
PROGRAM RUNDOWN Hour 2:Scientific Discovery
SEGMENT 1:
Rogers Hollingsworth tells Steve Paulson that lone
inspiration and the lure of prize money don't inspire
scientific creativity as well as does lively interaction
with scientific peers. Rogers Hollingsworth is a
sociologist and historian at the University of Wisconsin
at Madison. Also, John Horgan tells Judith Strasser that
all the important discoveries have been made. His book
is "The End of Science: Facing the Limits of Knowledge
in the Twilight of the Scientific Age."
SEGMENT 2:
Patricia Wright, social worker turned wildlife biologist
and anthropologist, tells Steve Paulson about her search
for a type of lemur thought extinct on the island of
Madagascar. In the end she found two lemur species and
was awarded a MacArthur "genius" award.
SEGMENT 3:
Gerald Geison is a historian at Princeton and the author
of "The Private Science of Louis Pasteur." He tells Jim
Fleming that Pasteur - celebrated for creating the first
laboratory vaccine - lied about his most famous
experiments.
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
10-13-B.
PROGRAM RUNDOWN: HOUR 3: Publishing
SEGMENT 1
Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of "The Deep End of the
Ocean," is this year's publishing phenom. She tells Jim
Fleming how her seventy-five page outline made its way to
the top of the NY Times bestseller list and that she
risked becoming a fiction writer after her husband's
death to prove to her kids that even a devastating blow
doesn't have to kill your dreams.
SEGMENT 2:
Publisher Andre Schiffrin, who left Pantheon when it
became part of a media conglomerate, talks with Judith
Strasser about the changes that have taken place in the
publishing business. Also, novelist Jonathan Franzen is
disillusioned about the serious writer's role in our
society, but, as he tells Judith Strasser, he intends to
go on writing literary novels. His books include "The
Twenty-Seventh City" and "Strong Motion;" Franzen's essay
on writing, "Perchance to Dream," appeared in the April
issue of Harper's.
SEGMENT 3:
Book dealer and collector John Dunning talks with Steve
Paulson about the sky-rocketing prices of first editions
and tells him that collectors don't really think of first
editions as books. John Dunning is also the author of
two mysteries - "Booked to Die" and "The Bookman's Wake."
For cassette copies of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
10-13-C.
Click here to return to the Main Menu
Last modified: Friday October 11, 1996